I usually go to Ireland for New Year, but not this time, so here’s one from last year when I spent a couple of days in the north looking for the remains of water-powered machinery, mainly in flax mills.
This one has been covered several times before, and with good reason - it has to be the best example of a derelict hydroelectric plant in the UK. Here are the previous reports:
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/herdmans-flax-mill-sion-mills-september-2018.114679/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/herdmans-sion-mills-flax-mill-ireland-sept-2017.109974/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/herdmans-flax-mill-sion-mills-ireland-july-2016.104558/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...lectric-station-sion-mills-august-2015.98496/
I really went for the (water) turbines, if only to see what sort they were, but the rest is well worth a wander.
It’s similar to Barbour Threads in Hilden in that the machinery was removed long ago, leaving empty buildings with a few mill-related scraps lying around.
Nevertheless, as with the Hilden Mills this somehow doesn’t matter, although compared to previous reports the place is definitely looking more battered these days.
Luckily the mills are mostly of fireproof construction, so it’s mainly just the wooden roofs which have gone after all the arson attacks.
The visit itself didn’t go entirely to plan - it was raining on and off and the battery in my camera ran out 2/3rds of the way round followed shortly after by the battery in my elderly iphone.
But no matter - it’s all been seen before.
I won’t do a full history, just add something about the various buildings as we go along, taken mostly from https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=5913&js=false.
Roadside view - a collection of buildings mainly from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Looking north with the mill race from the River Mourne coming in on the right.
View south, with turbine halls nearest on the left and main mill buildings on the right.
The remains of a modern (1988) textile mill on the southern side - just big empty sheds containing a leftover winding/reeling machine.
The ‘old mill’ on the east of the site next to river. This was originally a corn mill (1832) which was rebuilt and extended for flax processing (1867-79).
Mostly phone pictures from here.
A few from various buildings on either side of the main mill.
The burnt one with the panelling was presumably offices/admin.
A modernised building next to the chimney north of the main mill which seems to have been last used as a community centre.
The main mill (1853) which was steam powered from 1867 and finally shut in 1989.
continued..
This one has been covered several times before, and with good reason - it has to be the best example of a derelict hydroelectric plant in the UK. Here are the previous reports:
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/herdmans-flax-mill-sion-mills-september-2018.114679/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/herdmans-sion-mills-flax-mill-ireland-sept-2017.109974/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/herdmans-flax-mill-sion-mills-ireland-july-2016.104558/
https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...lectric-station-sion-mills-august-2015.98496/
I really went for the (water) turbines, if only to see what sort they were, but the rest is well worth a wander.
It’s similar to Barbour Threads in Hilden in that the machinery was removed long ago, leaving empty buildings with a few mill-related scraps lying around.
Nevertheless, as with the Hilden Mills this somehow doesn’t matter, although compared to previous reports the place is definitely looking more battered these days.
Luckily the mills are mostly of fireproof construction, so it’s mainly just the wooden roofs which have gone after all the arson attacks.
The visit itself didn’t go entirely to plan - it was raining on and off and the battery in my camera ran out 2/3rds of the way round followed shortly after by the battery in my elderly iphone.
But no matter - it’s all been seen before.
I won’t do a full history, just add something about the various buildings as we go along, taken mostly from https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=5913&js=false.
Roadside view - a collection of buildings mainly from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Looking north with the mill race from the River Mourne coming in on the right.
View south, with turbine halls nearest on the left and main mill buildings on the right.
The remains of a modern (1988) textile mill on the southern side - just big empty sheds containing a leftover winding/reeling machine.
The ‘old mill’ on the east of the site next to river. This was originally a corn mill (1832) which was rebuilt and extended for flax processing (1867-79).
Mostly phone pictures from here.
A few from various buildings on either side of the main mill.
The burnt one with the panelling was presumably offices/admin.
A modernised building next to the chimney north of the main mill which seems to have been last used as a community centre.
The main mill (1853) which was steam powered from 1867 and finally shut in 1989.
continued..
